A team of colleagues and students from the Social Work Directorate shared their knowledge and expertise at the Joint Social Work Education Conference 2015.
The theme of the three-day conference this year was ‘Social Work Education and Research Across Boundaries’.
Among their contributions was a presentation outlining the creation of Salford Social Work Network (SSWN) – a student group committed to compassion and social justice in social work.
Helen Scholar, Lecturer in Social Work, talked about her research with Recently Qualified Social Workers in posts that don’t require social work registration and later ran a Special Interest Group, with Professor Hugh McLaughlin, for people interested in reviewing for Social Work Education: the international journal.
Social Work Lecturer Carole Haines and Sarah Kennedy, Lecturer from the Joint Programme Learning Disability Nursing and Social Work, presented their work on Collaborative Learning Practice. Dr Michaela Rogers and Kate Parkinson made strong contributions to a parallel session on aspects of domestic abuse.
Michaela Rogers also delivered a paper on transphobic honour-based abuse, a topic which she discusses in her recent publication Breaking Down Barriers: exploring the potential for social care practice with trans survivors of domestic abuse
Black feminist theory and its application to social work was discussed by Social Work Lecturers Mary Shannon and Gabi Hesk, looking in particular at the work of Audre Lorde. Social Work lecturer Suryia Nayak’s book, Race, Gender and the Activism of Black Feminist Theory: Working with Audre Lorde (Concepts for Critical Psychology), was recommended to delegates.
Social Work students Kate Plant, Joss Thompson and Sharon Scott talked about their engagement with food poverty in the Manchester area, while Lecturer Donna Peach and Director of Social Sciences Steve Myers looked at the experiences and support needs of prospective adopters.
Professor Philip Brown, Research Centre Director said “The research activity within the Directorate of Social Work has increased massively in recent years thanks to the hard work of individual academics. This is research at the cutting edge of social life and professional practice which is engaged with practice and embedded in communities. I am really pleased to see colleagues making such a valuable contribution to important national debates”
The annual conference took place in Milton Keynes.